Your new company
About the Client
Home Office Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) provides the leadership for digital activities across the department. We design and build the services that help people apply for visas or passports; support policing and counter-terrorism operations; and protect the UK's borders.

Your new role
Senior Network Engineer - Grade SEO
Location: Manchester
Salary - SEO National £37,450 - £41,193
*Please note that new entrants to the Civil Service will be appointed at the bottom of the grade.*

RRA - Successful candidates with exceptional skills and experience may receive a Recruitment & Retention Allowance. This allowance is subject to annual review in line with departmental priorities and could be reduced or withdrawn at any time - up to £8,300.

What you'll need to succeed
About the Job
A Senior Network Engineer builds, administers, transitions, supports and maintains network services throughout the service lifecycle. An experienced Network Engineer and Administrator, responsible for designing, installing, and maintaining digital communication networks according to the departmental policy and Home Office strategy. The duties include establishing wireless networks, developing digital communication networks, and improving cyber-security. You will work in a team of network engineers ensuring services are integrated, delivered, and operated as required. You will work with and support third parties in providing network services and with technical architects to translate architectural designs into operations.

Main Responsibilities
Your main day to day responsibilities will be:

• Establishing and maintaining IT and digital communication infrastructure, including wireless or LAN networks
• Establishing and maintaining digital communication software, including email, user logins and passwords; this includes setting up new employees with company email accounts and providing them with access to the network, as well as troubleshooting for existing employees.
• Training new staff to operate within the company's IT systems and ensuring that new staff are aware of company communication policies
• Making sure that the networks are protected from malware and viruses, identifying areas that might be under threat and areas where security can be improved, keeping up to date on ever-changing cyber-threats
• Performing Network (WAN, LAN, WLAN and Firewall) configuration, deployment, troubleshooting and administration as required.
• Providing technical support and assistance to employees.
• Performing analysis and collecting data to establish improvements
• Working with third-party providers to keep the networks running efficiently
• Creating and performing authorised changes to environments, attending CABs where necessary
• Ensuring technical documentation is updated to professional standards
• Assisting with acceptance into service into operational support for all new implementations and enhancements/upgrades
• Coaching and mentoring more junior Network Engineers

Other Day to Day Activities
You will also be expected to carry out the following day to day activities:

• design, implement, administer and support network services
• ensure technical documentation is updated and maintained
• manage the response to incident reports, ensuring relevant prioritisation and detail to allow for effective investigation
• input into helping shape engineering best practices and standards
• define the integration build and co-ordinate build activities across networks and understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities

Skills and Experience
Essential Skills
You'll have a demonstrable passion for Network Engineering, with the following skills or strong experience in:

• Senior Network Engineers are required to have over five years of experience working within a Network Engineer role or IT support role.
• Experience of working within a Service Desk Environment
• Knowledge of ITIL aligned service management tools
• 2nd Line technical support skills, with experience of liaising with and working with 3rd line technical support
• Experience of enterprise grade networking environments
• Experience of Software Defined Network technologies, especially SD-WAN, preferably Cisco/Viptela
• Experience of working with large scale switching, routing, firewall and other network technologies
• Demonstrating excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Ability to troubleshoot complex, technical, multi-site and multi-disciplinary problems and incidents
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Strong background with core network, computer and storage technologies in large-scale deployments
• Building effective partnerships with diverse teams across multiple locations and technologies
• Understanding how trends and practices outside your team will impact you work, how your current work fits in the broader context and strategy and looks for underlying opportunities

The skills listed above are reflective of the Home Office DDaT Profession Skills and Competency Model (based on the industry standard SFIA framework). Please see below for the relevant skills required for your role:

Strategy and Architecture

• Advice and Guidance
• Specialist Advice (TECH) - Level 3

• Business Strategy and Planning
• IT Management (ITMG) - Level 5

Development and Implementation

• Systems Development
• Network Design (NTDS) - Level 3

• Installation and Integration
• Systems Installation/Decommissioning (HSIN) - Level 2

Delivery and Operation

• Service Operation
• Problem Management (PBMG) - Level 3
• Incident Management (USUP) - Level 2

Desirable Skills Ideally you will also have the following skills or some experience in:

• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to make technical information easy to understand
• Ability to work well both individually and in a team
• Customer service skills if providing external support
• Excellent logic and reasoning skills
• Detailed computer and IT skills

Qualifications

• Formal training in computer science to degree level or experience in a known computing field (or equivalent industrial experience)
• Cisco qualification or equivalent technical qualifications
• ITIL qualification or awareness of the ITIL processes
• Minimum CCNP level accreditation (or demonstrable progress along the certification track)

Core Behaviours

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

24/7 Shift Requirements: 8 Day Shift Cycle; 2 days day shift (7am - 7pm) 2 days night shift (7pm - 7am) 4 days off The shift pattern is paid through annualised working hours allowance, based on the above shift pattern this works out at 38% of base pay regardless of grade / spine point and does not take RRA into account. This can only be paid when the shift pattern is started, as the staff will be starting on a usual working day of 9am - 5pm, before moving to shift patterns.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and Suitability Statement. The Statement of Suitability should concisely explain, in no more than 1000 words, your motivation for applying to this role, and evidencing how you meet the essential criteria listed on the Job Specification.
The sift will be based on the CV and Suitability Statement. Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview which will be a mixture of Behaviour and Experience based questions.
The sift will commence from 6th June 2022. Interviews are expected to take place from 27th June 2022.

What you'll get in return
As an employer of choice, Home Office offers an extensive benefits package.

*All Applications need to be submitted via CS Jobs.*

What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion on your career.